We Fit Two Million Textbooks Under One Roof?

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Alan Martin
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We Fit Two Million Textbooks Under One Roof?

How Physical Textbooks Complement Your Long-Term Digital Strategy

At Valore Campus, we believe that the best strategy for higher education isn’t physical or digital, it's both ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. In this brief article we'll try to articulate what underpins our belief.

Students Still Prefer Print

There’s a common assumption in the industry that “students want everything on a screen.” The reality? Our experience running campus stores across the country says otherwise.

Time and again, students walk up to the counter asking for a printed textbook even if a digital version is available. Why?

  • Better focus: Many students report they retain more information when studying from a physical book.
  • No screen fatigue: With classes, assignments, and research already online, print offers a much-needed break.
  • Easy navigation: Flipping between sections, highlighting, and writing notes in the margins is intuitive and quick.

Faculty Need to Teach How They Teach Best

It’s not just students. Faculty often have teaching styles built around physical course materials. This comes in the form of holding up a book in class, referencing a specific page, or guiding students through an annotated chapter.

When we remove the option for print, we inadvertently limit how faculty can teach. Our philosophy is simple: let educators teach the way they teach best.

An image that reads: some see print as a threat to digital adoption. We see it as a bridge.e

Physical Books Don’t Ultimately Compete with Digital

Some see print as a threat to digital adoption. We see it as a bridge. A strong print offering builds trust with students and faculty, which makes them more receptive to integrating digital tools over time.

For example:

  • A nursing student may use a physical textbook for core reading but rely on interactive digital simulations for skill practice.
  • A literature professor might prefer students have physical copies for class discussion while hosting supplemental readings online.

By offering both formats, campuses can meet learners where they are without forcing them into a one-size-fits-all model.

The Scale to Support Any Campus

Housing two million books in a single facility isn’t just about volume; it’s about readiness. Our warehouse allows us to:

  • Ship quickly to campuses nationwide.
  • Source rare or out-of-print editions for specialized programs.
  • Support large-scale rental programs that save students money.

This infrastructure means that when a campus decides to keep physical books in the mix, we can deliver at scale and on time.

An image that says: Five million books in one facility means we can ship, source, and support any campus at scale.

Give People What They Need to Succeed

At the heart of our approach is a simple truth: students and faculty perform better when they can learn and teach with the tools that work for them. For some, that’s digital content. For others, it’s a well-worn hardcover with dog-eared pages.

By keeping print alive alongside digital, campuses aren’t resisting change, they’re enabling choice. And that choice is what drives student success.

Final Thought: The conversation in higher education doesn’t have to be about choosing between the past and the future. It can be about building a bridge between them. In our case, that bridge happens to be made of two million books.

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Three Fun Facts About Our Book Warehouse

Our facility spans the equivalent of 4 football fields.

We can ship to any U.S. campus in as little as 48 hours.

We run one of the largest textbook rental programs in the country, reaching students on nearly every campus in the U.S.

Study on,

Alan

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Alan Martin

VP Sales, Valore Campus